AIR PILOT AUGUST 2019:AIR PILOT MASTER 24/7/19 20:27 Page 1 2 AirPilot AUGUST 2019 ISSUE 34 AIR PILOT AUGUST 2019:AIR PILOT MASTER 24/7/19 20:27 Page 2 Diary AUGUST 2019 AIR PILOT 13th Visit to Martin Baker Higher Denham THE HONOURABLE 18th Annual Garden Party Biggin Hill COMPANY OF AIR PILOTS SEPTEMBER 2019 incorporating 10th Visit to Southampton University Air Navigators 12th GP&F Air Pilots House (APH) 12th Court Cutlers’ Hall PATRON: 17th Visits Committee APH His Royal Highness 18th AST/APT APH The Prince Philip 19th Instructors Work ing Group APH Duke of Edinburgh KG KT 24th Luncheon Club RAF Club Technical Committee APH GRAND MASTER: Tymms Lecture RAF Club His Royal Highness 26th Visit to RAF Waddington The Prince Andrew Duke of York KG GCVO OCTOBER 2019 MASTER: 2nd Election of Lord Mayor Guildhall Malcolm G F White OBE 7th Pilot Aptitude Testing RAF Cranwell 17th GP&F APH CLERK: Paul J Tacon BA FCIS 24th T&A Banquet Guildhall Incorporated by Royal Charter. A Livery Company of the City of London. PUBLISHED BY: The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, Air Pilots House, 52A Borough High Street, London SE1 1XN EDITOR: Paul Smiddy BA (Econ) ,FCA EMAIL: [email protected] FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY: VISITS PROGRAMME Gerald Sharp Photography Please see the flyers accompanying this issue of Air Pilot or contact Liveryman David View images and order prints on-line. Curgenven at [email protected]. TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070 These flyers can also be downloaded from the Company's website. EMAIL: [email protected] Please check on the Company website for visits that are to be confirmed. WEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk PRINTED BY: Printed Solutions Ltd 01494 478870 GOLF CLUB EVENTS Except where specifically stated, none of the material Please check on Company website for latest information in this issue is to be taken as expressing the opinion of the Court of the Company. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: The copy deadline for the October 2019 edition of Air Pilot is 1 September0 2019. The address is: 52A Borough High Street, London SE1 1XN. Our telephone number remains unchanged TELEPHONE: 020 7404 4032 EMAIL: [email protected] Cover photo: Gloster Gladiator at the Battle of Britain Airshow, 2016, courtesy of WEBSITE: www.airpilots.org Liveryman Alan Jackson. AIR PILOT AUGUST 2019:AIR PILOT MASTER 24/7/19 20:27 Page 3 A message from your Editor... This has been a season of commemorations.After last year’s all-embracing RAF100, this year has seen the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings. Months of planning by many people around the world saw a veritable armada of C47/DC3s cross from Duxford to Normandy. Sadly I missed the event as I was airborne enroute to Spain, and crossing the French coast at the other end of Normandy.The very international flavour of the day was brought home to me by the sound ofa trio of US C130s on the radio. I remember well taking my father-in-law (who crossed at D+4) to the 50th celebrations, but doubt I will be present or sentient for the centenary! Centenaries have continued this year with that of Alcock and Brown’s epoch-making transatlantic voyage. I describe a less well remembered transatlantic centenary in the news section.And , as I write, we are recalling the first landing on the moon, fifty years ago.That makes one feel rather ancient. What aviation events will our descendants be recalling in 100 years’ time? Possibly none of the magnitude of the above. But some aviators quietly, some less quietly, continue to impress with their courage, vision and stamina. I was less than impressed with a recent transpolar circumnavigation by a 8 man crew in a G650ER – if that wasn’t underlining and abetting the shrinking of the polar icecaps, I don’t know what would. But more meritorious to my mind has been a flight f rom the UK to New Zealand in a 500 kg aircraft by an RAF pilot to commemorate RAF 100. The circumnavigation in an autogyro that is still in progress.And a perhaps naively optimistic attempt to emulate Amy Johnson’s journey to Australia (in a Tiger Moth) by Amanda Harrison.We should celebrate that the UK gene pool still holds many brave, if sometimes batty, pilots! Like many others, I look forward to celebrating the achievements of some of our (probably less batty) aviators at t he T&A in October. Paul Smiddy - Editor Contents News Round Up & Gazette . .4 Master’s Message . .7 From the Desk of the DAA . .8 Human Radar . .12 GNSS and the threats to Navigation . .13 Gazette . .14 Company visit to RAF Valley . ........15 First Step?l . .19 The Jetstream - a personal reminiscence . .20 Flying Legends Practice Day . .22 Old Warden - the Military Show . .24 3 AIR PILOT AUGUST 2019:AIR PILOT MASTER 24/7/19 20:27 Page 4 News Round Up BOMBER COMMAND MEMORIAL PODCAST 96-YEAR-OLD WAR VETERAN BACK PAINTING I draw your attention to an excellent TO THE COCKPIT The Master and Vanessa were invited to podcast by Liveryman Captain Hugh Travel Weekly reported on Past Master Dibley, which can be found at: the House of Lords on 9 July to receive a Frank Dell, 96-year-old Second World painting of the Memorial Opening https://www.aerosociety.com/news/100 War veteran and former British Airways Ceremony (in 2012) on behalf of the -years-of-piloting-british-airliners-a- Bomber Command Association. The podcast-special/ pilot making a return to the cockpit some 45 years after retiring. Frank was painting captures some of the 8000 FOR SALE guests who attended on the day and the PM Colin Cox is offering for sale a third able to sit in a cockpit once again as part very moving "poppy drop" (in memory share in aTiger Moth. Clearly a beneficial of the magazine’s commitment to 100 of the more than 55,000 dead of Bomber aspect to the share is that co-owners are acts of kindness across the world as part none other than PM Wally Upton and Command) from the Battle of Britain of its centenary celebration. Memorial Flight Lancaster. Assistant Richie Piper. EDITORIAL FROLICS Due to the generosity of their respective families, the Editor and the Immediate Past Editor both had the opportunity to fly with Past Master Cliff Spink in an ARC Spitfire T9 in the same week. Or perhaps that should read Past Master Spink had the honour to fly two editors in three days! Huge fun. L-R: Lord Anthony Clarke (Baron Clarke of Hampstead), Ron McGill (the artist, wearing his Bomber Command tie), Lord David Craig (Baron Craig of Radley - former Chief of the Defence Staff) CROQUET In the recent Inter-Livery Croquet competition, organised by the Glovers Company,Past Master Colin Cox abetted by a ringer (aka his brother-in-law), Len Howling, came a very creditable third out of out of 24 teams. LSL The annual Livery Schools Link was held over two days in mid-June at the Guildhall. If a fifteen year-old cannot obtain some inspiration for a career from that, they need to think again.The Company as usual generated a significant amount of interest. 4 AIR PILOT AUGUST 2019:AIR PILOT MASTER 24/7/19 20:27 Page 5 RECENT FINDINGS OF THE robust public consultation. Otherwise I fear the methodology used to arrive their ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY CAA would breach its Section 70 conclusion. GROUP ON GENERAL AVIATION responsibilities under the Transport Act 4.2 The CAA should look to radically ELECTRONIC CONSPICUITY 2000." change the policy objective behind The comments were revealed in the airspace design changes. The Inquiry APPG-GA's response to CAP 1777, the THE UK’S LOWER AIRSPACE recommends that the Department for Transport and the CAA adopt, or base CAA's call for evidence to inform its Lord Kirkhope of H arrogate introduced their policy on, ‘safety, proportionality new strategy on electronic conspicuity the report of the All-Party Parliamentary and need’. devices. Group on General Aviation (APPG-GA) The CAA proposals involve a two stage into the UK’s lower airspace with a 4.2 The CAA should look to ensure that roll out, starting with mandating trenchant conclusion: “It has been clear to all future airspace proposals make the conspicuity in selected blocks of airspace everyone in the aviation community, for some most efficient use of airspace. The most before a more general national roll out of time, that the current Airspace Design Process obvious way this can be achieved is the technology nationwide. is unfit for purpose and as a result the UK has through the introduction of a ratchet down process for classed airspace. This Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate, Chairf o one of the most complex airborne would give the CAA the powers to either the APPG-GA's dedicated Airspace environments in the world. The outdated lower the class of controlled airspace or Working Group said: "It is clear that the legislation and complex guidance that comes ma ke airspace uncontrolled. CAA's objective is to get to a point where from it, has created a system that is electronic conspicuity is made mandatory for overb urdensome and potentially dangerous for 4.3 The Government should seek to every airborne vehicle in the UK.Yet in our future airspace users.” . extend the powers of the CAA, so they opinion the CAA's one-size-fits-all approach The expert panel recommended that the can make formal alterations to Airspace will not work for the vast majority of aviation Department for Transport and the CAA Applications.